Every so often I have a few cells from a batch of queen cells where the larva gradually crawl down and out of the cells, meanwhile the bees extend the queen cell walls, apparently in an attempt to keep the larva confined to the cells. The cells thus affected become highly elongated, but are never sealed, the larva evict themselves before the cells are sealed.
The first time I saw this happen was at a time when the bees were harvesting a large amount of Prickley Pear fruit juice. During this time the royal jelly turned pink and the affected queen larvae did too. All the larva thus affected had their cells elongated three times their normal length, then they crawled out of their cells and the cells were cleaned out by the bees.
Just recently a few of the cells in my most recent batch responded just like this, but without any evidence of pink discoloration of Prickley Pear juice. Actually there are no Prickley Pear plants with fruits or even with flowers at this time of year.
Has anyone else seen this? Does anyone know what causes this?
